Pokémon: New World
by Champ11
Summary: "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Delta flight 3258. We are going down! Mayday, mayday, mayday!" cried the Captain as he and the Co-pilot fought to keep the dying bird in the air, "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Delta flight 3258! We are going down!"
1. Prologue: Lost at Sea

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon, but the OC's. If I did, Ash wouldn't be such girl, not to mention an immature child, and Brock would have some self-control (or he'd get the taser a few times). I also don't own the US Army, USAROTC (United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corp), or the Gopher Battalion. Those all belong to the US government. I do however belong to all three.

Author's Note: A friend of mine made a few songs that, while not actually made for this fanfic, fit really well. Sadly, he isn't on this site, and the site he is on violates about every rule has soo… On to the first chapter!

**Pokémon: New World**

"_Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Delta flight 3258. We are going down! Mayday, mayday, mayday!" cried the Captain as he and the Co-pilot fought to keep the dying bird in the air, "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is Delta flight 3258! We are going down!"_

Prologue: Lost at Sea

I slowly regained consciousness. The first thing that jumped to my attention was that everything hurt. Eventually the pain started to fade, and the next thing to come to my attention was that I seemed to be rocking. Up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right. I slowly open my eyes, only to have to shut them again due to the bright light. I then cautiously opened my eyes, opening them slow enough to let them get adjusted to the light, and looked around. I was stuck out in the middle of the ocean. I looked at what was holding me up, and saw one of those emergency life preservers from planes that are used during emergency landings in the water. I couldn't remember how I ended up in the ocean, but I could remember everything else.

My name is Cadet Eric Fischer, United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corp, otherwise known as AROTC or Army ROTC, Gopher Battalion located at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I'm Caucasian, six–foot-nothing (though according to the Army, some of my family are six-foot-one and I'm taller than they are), and 170 pounds. I have brown hair, hazel eyes, and glasses. The last thing I could remember was heading home after a weeklong vacation in Hawai'i.

I had just finished school before we went. I remembered the vacation clearly, and all of the fun my parents and I had; visiting the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean, and a few other things. However, my mind blanked the moment we boarded the plane back home. I noticed an isle off in the distance. It looked close, but it was off on the horizon; probably a good twelve to fifteen miles away. I was a great swimmer, but I didn't know if I could make it that far. However, it looked like I didn't have much choice.

I checked the time and started swimming. I swam forward, good ol' fashion breaststroke. I trusted that the life vest would keep me afloat, so I focused on moving forward. I kept it slow, at about four strokes a minute. The point of this swim was not speed, but endurance.

The silence started to get to me so I started to call out cadence, and sing some songs that I had memorized:

"_Hey, hey, Captain Jack!  
Meet me down by the railroad track!  
With that knife in your hand!  
I'm gonna be a stabbing man!  
The best I can  
For Uncle Sam!  
Re-up, you're crazy!  
Re-up, you're outta your mind!  
Who said you're lazy!  
I said, you're crazy!"_

After a few verses of that cadence, I moved on to another one, and then another, and then another. The Island didn't look any closer, but I knew I was making progress, at least that was what I told myself. It was hard to judge distance when there are no reference points. I felt my muscles protesting at the amount of abuse that they were being put through, but when it comes to do-or-die, they could take it. Another thing I could feel was the sun. I knew I was suffering from exposure, not only to the freezing temperatures of the ocean water, but also to the harmful rays of the sun. It was a no-win situation for me, and I just had to tough it out. It was getting to be painful, but I knew that when I joined the Army, that there was a possibility of me being in pain, either from a wound or some other injury. I just gritted me teeth and pushed through it.

I looked at the watch I had on, luckily waterproof to 200 meters, and noticed that I had been swimming for a good three hours solid. Part of me begged for a break, but I knew to stop could mean that I'd die. With that thought in mind, I continued forward. Minutes dragged by, and the island didn't look any closer. Then those minutes dragged into hours, and finally, it looked like I was making some progress. My arms and legs had gone numb from the cold and the abuse they suffered. I was glad that I was swimming the whole way, as that exercise warmed my body; however, I was slowly running out of energy as adrenaline slowly gave way to exhaustion. The island looked really close now, just a mile or two away. I glanced at my watch, three more hours had past. I then noticed that my responsiveness was starting to become sluggish, and that I was shivering very badly. I stepped up the pace to try and make it to the island as quick as I could.

I really sped up, as it took me only about forty-five minutes to reach the beach. My legs wouldn't support me when I got to the shore, so I just dragged myself onto the beach. I was shivering so badly that I knew I was suffering from hypothermia and that it was starting to get extremely bad. I noticed that the edges of my vision were starting to go black, and I fought off the exhaustion that had suddenly hit me hard with all of my waning strength. I tried to drag myself off the beach and into some shade to try and get some shelter from the sun, but it proved too much. My vision went black and I was out cold before my head even hit the sand.


	2. Chapter One: New World

Author's Note: The story takes place after all of the Diamond and Pearl series, and I am RPing the main character. The thought process would be my own. Whether it's "correct" or not, politically or militarily, is not important to me. It's what _**I**_ would do, with _**my**_ experience, _**my**_ mindset, and _**my**_ views in a situation like this. I'm also surprised that this has received no reviews at all. The other site I have it placed on has given me several reviews. If this keeps up, I'll just remove the series from this site. No point having a story here that no one wants to read.

**Chapter One: New World**

I slowly woke up. I heard a constant beeping noise that reminded me of something. I had heard that noise before, but from where? Suddenly, a thought came into my mind. I had fallen asleep while suffering from hypothermia. That realization sent adrenaline rushing though my system and I heard the beeping noise speed up. I forced my eyes open with my adrenaline-enhanced strength. My eyes hurt from the overhead lights and I was force to blink several times. I slowly sat up and looked around. The first thing I noticed was a curious lack of pain, which I had expected considering how hard I pushed my muscles in the ocean. Second thing I noticed was that, I was in a white room, and now that I was wide-awake, I realized it was a hospital room. EKG machines, heart monitors, IVs, and various other medical devices were in the room, which confirmed that detail to me. I had one IV in me; the bag was filled with a clear liquid, so I guessed I was hooked up to a saline IV.

The room I was in was an average sized room. To my left, on the wall across from me was a door, and another one was on the wall to my right. There was a good-sized window on the wall to my left, looking out onto a village/town-like area with some trees around. The scene looked almost like it was from a cartoon. It seemed that it was fall, right now. Strange as it was just the beginning of summer when I woke up in the drink… My bed was the only bed in the room, instead of the stereotypical two or three beds to a room. I heard someone open a door to my right. I turned and saw a woman, in a cartoon-stereotype nurse's outfit.

"Oh good, you're awake," she said in a light, cheerful voice, "We were worried for a while. You've been out for a few days now."

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in the Pokémon Center in Sandgem Town," she replied. I could almost feel my train of thought derail. 'WHAT!'

"Wait, where?" I asked again.

"The center in Sandgem Town," she replied with a little uncertainty. 'Okay, what's going on?' I thought, 'I've never heard of this cit…You have got to be kidding me…Pokémon? What is going on here? Alright, calm down, Cadet. Think. What is important is not losing your head and blending in until you can find out what happened. Better to fly under the radar than to paint a bull's-eye on your head.'

"Ah, sorry. I thought you said something else," I said as I scrambled to get off my "back-foot" in this conversation. A quick check on my knowledge on the Pokémon world, reminded me that Sandgem town was in Sinnoh, and that I was in deep trouble as I had neither a trainer's license, nor any money to pay for the help I had just received. Another thought then struck me, 'I wonder if I'll run into Ash... Guess I'll find out once I get out of here.' "So what's the damage, Nurse Joy?" I asked.

"Well, besides a bad case of hypothermia, there were several bumps and bruises. What exactly happened?" she asked.

"I don't remember. I woke up floating in the ocean. I saw this island in the distance, so I swam toward it. I was just able to drag myself onto the beach before I passed out," I answered.

"So you just woke up in the ocean? Do you remember releasing your Lucario when you got to the beach?" she asked.

"Lucario?" I said.

"Yes, your Lucario..." she said, suddenly unsure.

"I don't have a Lucario. I also don't have a trainer's license, so..." I trailed off.

"Well, this Lucario brought you in here..." she said as she pointed toward the ground. I looked down and noticed a Lucario stand near the foot of the bed. A real, live Lucario! I was shocked. I knew that they were rare in the Pokémon world, but to see one and get rescued by one...

"Ah...Th-thank you, Lucario. Both of you. I owe you both my life," I said. The Lucario seemed to blush and looked away, while Nurse Joy just smiled.

"My pleasure," she said with her trademark smile.

"Ah, do either of you know where my clothes are? I would like to change back into my clothes," I said, slightly embarrassed.

"The Lucario also brought this pack with you, is this yours?" she asked as she held up a US Army rucksack. I sat up and looked at it. It had two strips of silver tape on it, as well as two smaller strips of woodland-camouflage of tape around the lowest parts of the padding on the shoulder straps. It also had a Kevlar helmet with a suicide strap, along with a digital-camo cover that went over it. That was my AROTC (A/N: Army Reserve Officer Training Corp) rucksack, and K-pot. I had turned that thing in when my school ended for the summer... 'How did that get here?'

"Yeah, that's my ki- I mean, that's mine," I said, tripping over the usual slang I use. She set it do beside me, on the bed, as the Lucario looked at it and me curiously. I opened the rucksack quickly and saw a pair of my ACUs (A/N: Army Combat Uniform), along with three tan T-shirts, several pairs of black socks, a tan belt, one PC (A/N: Patrol Cap), my LBE (A/N: Load Bearing Equipment), two canteens, and a pair of 5.11 HRT boots. I grabbed one ACU, one tan T-shirt, a pair of socks, the belt, the PC, my boots, and my watch, which was on a nightstand next to my bed. I took the IV out of my arm, got off the bed, and faced Nurse Joy and the Lucario.

"I'll go get changed now," I said as I moved past them.

"Alright, but if you need any help let me know," Nurse Joy responded. She then left the room but the Lucario stayed. I then walked over to the other door in the room, and found it lead to a bathroom. The Lucario just followed me with its eyes. I went in and shut the door behind me. Ten minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom in my ACU uniform. All of the patches were in place, which I know I had left at home when I turned my uniform in as well as when I left for Hawaii, and I had my PC in my left thigh pocket. The Lucario looked at me, and then ran over to my side. I kneeled down and put my hand on its shoulder.

"I owe you my life, if there is ever anything you need. Just ask. I would hate to leave a debt like this go unpaid," I said as I looked it in the eyes. I remembered that Lucarios could speak in English, or Japanese depending what version of the movies/TV shows you watched, and was wondering if it would say something.

"You're welcome. There is something that I would like," a high-pitched voice replied. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I knew Lucarios were strong, but both my rucksack and I, together, easily weighed over 220 pounds. I was surprised that a female Lucario could still carry both of us and, if I remembered the maps from the games/movies/anime correctly, quite a distance from the beach near Sandgem town to here.

I quickly shook off my shock and replied calmly and inquisitively, "What?"

"I'd like to travel with you." I was just able to stop my jaw from physically dropping. The first thing that ran through my mind was shock that a Lucario wanted to travel with me. Second was that I would _have_ an actual Pokémon. My third thought quickly sobered me up. I wasn't a trainer or anything in this world. I didn't even exist as far as I knew; not to mention that I didn't have any Pokéballs or money… 'This is going to get interesting. And I don't mean the good kind of interesting, talk about SNAFU (A/N: Situation Normal: All Fouled Up),' I thought as I tried to figure out a way to explain this to her without giving myself away.

"Uh, I would love to, uhmm, but I don't think that I, uh, can. I mean, umm, I don't have any money or Pokéballs so…" I said. The Lucario looked at me as if I was crazy.

"What do you mean? I thought all humans that traveled around were 'trainers' or something," she replied. I continued to scramble for answers, I tried to keep calm but I knew the moment she checked my aura, the gig was up. I was fighting an uphill battle, a very steep uphill battle

"I mean that…Umm, I'm not a…I would have no way of protecting you…" I said. At this point in time, the thought of just explaining my situation to her seemed appealing but…Could I trust her with such knowledge?

"A human, protect a Pokémon? Are you sure, you didn't hit your head or something? I always thought it was the other way around," she asked confused, "I know you're hiding something. Your aura is screaming that much at me. Why are you scared of me?" 'Looks like that cat is outta the bag…' I thought, 'Note to self: Do not become a spy or a politician. I can't lie for crap! Especially to a Psychic Pokémon, or one that can read my aura,' I sighed as I tried to figure a way out of this. Seeing none, I gave up.

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth. Can I trust you to not tell anyone? And I mean, no one," I asked as I figured out exactly how much I should tell her. I knew that the fact that everything I know about this world being a game, movie, or anime series is staying "need-to-know" but should I explain that I'm a soldier? Or that I'm from a country that doesn't exist here?

"I promise not to tell anyone, but why would you ask me that?" she asked.

"What I know can…hurt a lot of people, and…Some of the stuff I'm going to tell you…You might not even believe…" I said as I tried to buy time to figure out how much she needed to know. 'Man, OPSEC (A/N: OPerational SECurity) is harder than it looks…' I thought as I decided to just tell her the minimum I could. "First off, I'm going to need you not to interrupt me, okay? If you have any questions, please wait until the end. I'll answer what I'm allowed to, or am able to. My name is Cadet Eric Fischer. I'm a part of an organization called the United States Army. I come from a nation called the United States. What I told Nurse Joy about what I remember is completely true. I don't remember how I ended up in the ocean, but I can guess. Where I am from, I'm considered a person that defends others from harm; even if in that defense it costs me my life. I am still in training to do this job, and it's the reason I have the rank of 'Cadet,' which is just a fancy way of saying 'Officer-in-training.' I know a little about this place, but I can't tell you from where I know the information I have," I said before I stopped to think about where I wanted to go after that, and to see if anyone was walking in the hallway outside, "Also, everything I have, as far as information goes, is second-hand or even third-hand information. I've never seen this place in my life. One last thing I can tell you is that, I have never seen a Pokémon in my life. Where I am from, there are no Pokémon. Unfortunately, everything else is classified and I can't tell you, at least not yet." She just stood there looking at the ground, obviously digesting everything I just said. We sat there for at least a minute before she looked at me in the eye. I got a feeling she was reading my aura to see if I was telling the truth.

"I don't know why, but I believe you. I do have one question. Where is this United States?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm lost…and would very much like to find my way back home," I said, as suddenly the task in front of me, truly hit me. I suddenly felt very small with this very daunting, and demanding, challenge in my way. 'I wonder how long it will be, before the Army lists me as "AWOL," or "MIA." And I wonder how much longer it will be before they label me as "MIA presumed KIA…"' I thought suddenly. That thought chilled me to the bone. Fear welled up inside and self-pity hit me hard. I hated where these thoughts were taking me, so I forced myself to focus on the here and now. I was alive and well, and have someone who seems to be willing to help me find my way home. 'A step at a time, Eric,' my mother's voice said in my head, 'Just one step at a time.' Suddenly the thought that I might never see my parents or friends again hit me.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I held them back with everything I could muster. 'Is this how a soldier, much less an officer, acts?' I mentally berated myself, 'What kind of a soldier are you? What kind of person are you?' The voice suddenly changed to Master Sergeant Davis' voice, 'Is this how you're going to act when you're in the field when lives are at stake? This is nothing compared what real combat is like! Are you a baby, or a man? Grow up already! What about when you take casualties? Are you going to sit there and cry like a baby when you lose men under your command? There is a time and place for that, but here is not the time to be feeling sorry for yourself, Cadet. Dig Deep, Cadet!' "Gopher Strong," I whispered as I forced those thoughts from my mind. Pride in my battalion, and in my uniform, suddenly filled my heart. I felt a strength that wasn't my own fill my body. I could almost feel a fire light in my very soul. A final thought crossed my mind, 'You'll never be alone, so long as you live.'

"What was that?" the Lucario asked, as she ducked to look me in the eye. I couldn't help but smirk at the confused look on her face.

"A reminder, from my brothers-in-arms," I said as I reached over with my left hand and placed it on the US Flag patch on my right shoulder.

"From who? I didn't hear anything…" she said as she looked around, trying to find out who suddenly boosted my spirits.

"I don't think you can understand. Not unless you serve," I said softly as I wiped the tears from my eyes and then laid a hand on her shoulder, "Can you help me find my way back home?"

She looked and nodded firmly, "Yes." I smiled again.

"Thank you, my friend," I said softly. I then stood up and searched through my rucksack to see if I could find my wallet. I found it in one of the pouches on the ruck. I opened it and was surprised to find that everything was completely dry; nothing had seemed to have gotten wet. I quickly tossed the mystery out of my mind and put the wallet in my left pocket, out of habit. I also checked to see if my Blackberry had also made the mysterious trip unscathed. However, I couldn't find it. What I did find was my .45 ACP Smith & Wesson pistol, along with several fully loaded clips, about 200 rounds of ammunition in fifty-round boxes, and a thigh holster. I habitually checked the pistol to see if it was locked and loaded. Ten rounds in the magazine, and nothing in the chamber. I made sure the safety was on, and put it in the thigh holster. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I strapped the holster to my right thigh, and did a quick check to see if I could draw the weapon quickly. The thoughts of 'Where did this ammo come from?' 'Where did this holster come from?' and 'How did this gun, and the rest of this kit, get here?' entered my mind, but I dismissed them. I'd figure out the mystery later. What I needed to focus on was how to find my way home.

"What's that?" asked Lucario, as she pointed at my pistol.

"A gift from my father. It's a weapon that we use back home. I was going to try, and take it into the service with me. Still have yet to figure out how…Anyway, it's a forty-five ACP pistol. Let's just say, if I use this thing, whatever I'm aiming at is going to fall to the floor in extreme pain," I explained. She accepted the explanation and watched as I picked up my rucksack and settled it on my back. "Ready to figure out how I'm gonna pay the bill?" I asked with a smile. She smiled back and nodded.

"Let's go," she said. I walked over and held open the door.

"Ladies first," I said with a bow. She looked at me with a slightly confused look, but then smiled and laughed as she walked through. I chuckled slightly as I followed her out. We walked down a nondescript hallway, and came to the lobby of the Center. The lobby was deserted save for Nurse Joy manning the front desk. The two of us walked up to the front desk.

"Nurse Joy, I'm ready to sign out," I said. I started to worry about paying, but I was ready to do whatever I needed to do to pay for the care I was given.

"Alright, but I need to ask one question. Just who are you?" she asked.

"My name's Eric Fischer," I replied.

"I can't seem to find your Trainer's registration…" she said after she typed it into the computer next to her.

"Um, I'm not a trainer…" I said dreading what was coming up next.

"Oh, okay. Well, I assume that you are old enough to become one. If you want, you could head to Professor Rowan's Lab if you want to register. Other than that, you're free to leave," she said. I was able to stop my physical reaction to that statement.

"So, I don't owe you anything?" I asked.

"Nope, free of charge," she said with her trademark smile. 'Well, that's a load off my mind,' I thought as I looked down at Lucario and smiled. She of course smiled back. 'I might as well become a trainer. Who knows, it might come in handy in the future. It also would definitely come in handy as I create a cover identity,' I thought as I looked back up at Nurse Joy.

"Well, thanks again, Nurse Joy. I owe you one, okay? I do intend to pay that back. I hate leaving debts unpaid," I said as I turned and left the Center with a wave.

"Take care," she replied. The two of us walked outside, and I quickly took in our surroundings. It was a small town, and decided to just explore. Once I had found Professor Rowan, I would become a trainer and go from there.

"So what do we do now?" asked Lucario.

"We explore," I said as I just chose a direction and started walking. There were a few people out and about, running various errands, children playing with their Pokémon, and people doing chores around their homes. I found a small café, and sat down at a table facing away from the café. When a waiter came up and gave me a glass of water, I thanked him but declined ordering anything. I told him I was waiting for someone, and that we were going to meet up at the café. Lucario stayed silent during the entire exchange.

Most people call what I was doing, "people watching." I'd never done it before, but I just sat there and watched how everyone interacted with one another. Luckily it seemed that the culture was quite similar to any Western civilization, like the US or Canada. Once I thought I knew enough, I looked behind me for the waiter and saw him busy with another few customers. I then carefully got up, Lucario following my lead, and quickly left the café while making the least amount of noise possible.

After I left the café, I decided to try and locate Professor Rowan's lab. I debated internally whether to ask someone for directions, or to just try and find it on my own.

"What was the point of that?" asked Lucario, knocking me from my deliberations. I checked my watch, and made a mental note of the time.

"Just to see if the culture around here is the same as the one back home," I said as I randomly chose a direction and started walking.

"But you didn't do anything…" she said as she cocked her head quizzically.

"Ah, but I did. I observed people going about their daily lives. I learned what they did by watching. You'd be surprised what can be learned by just watching someone," I explained as we continued to walk down the road, "For a man in my occupation, the skills in observations are the most key. They could mean the difference between life and death, easily. ATD, attention to detail. The smallest thing escaping your notice, as a soldier, can easily kill you, or others, on the battlefield."

"Oh…" she said in a way that plainly stated, 'I don't get it.'

"You'll get used to it, and eventually you'll understand. For whatever reason, learning through observation always came easily to me," I said as we walked. I noticed that the road we had been walking on turned into a dirt road, and from what I remembered from the anime, Professor Rowan's lab was on a dirt road. It also had a three bladed windmill. 'I wonder if the anime is really accurate…I guess I'll have to find out…' I thought as we continued to walk. "Oh by the way, do you have a name?" I asked.

"No, I don't," Lucario replied, "I've always just been called Lucario."

"Do you want a name, a human name I mean…" I said, worried I might have offended the only friend I had on the entire island.

"Yes, I would like one," she said with a small laugh, "but I'd like to pick it out if you don't mind."

"Ah, I'm not the best with names…" I said, slightly embarrassed for some reason. Lucario noticed my discomfort and giggled a bit.

"It's alright," she said. 'She sounds a lot like one of my characters from those stories I write…' I thought, 'Sarah… I just hope I don't turn into Johnson…'

"How about Sarah?" I asked.

"Hmm, I like it," Sarah said, "Thank you, Eric."

"You're welcome, Sarah," I said with a smile. At this point in time, I noticed a three-bladed windmill on the right side of the road, along with a bigger-sized house attached to it. "That must be the lab," I said as I pointed it out.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I hope it is at least," I said as I stepped up the pace. I checked the time, and noticed that about a half an hour had passed as we walked. It took us about a minute to make it to the house's front door, however something put me on edge. I knocked on the front door, but my first hit on the door caused it to open.

"Was that supposed to happen?" asked Sarah. I shook my head as I pushed the door open. That feeling of wrongness shot through the roof in intensity, so I placed a hand on my pistol.

"Professor Rowan," I called out loudly as I looked around the house through the front door. Concern ran through my mind as I remembered that in a few of the games, there were problems with Team Galactic at the beginning. I pulled out my pistol, pulled back on the slide to load a round into the chamber, and whispered, "Stay behind me." I entered the house, cutting the pie on each corner. The house was empty, but I slowly started to get a bad feeling. As I continued to clear the house, room by room, I came across the lab.

Inside I could hear yelling, "Give us the location, old man!"

"No," came the gruff reply. The situation in my mind went from bad to worse, but training took over. I silently walked over to the door. The door automatically opened.

"Huh?" came another voice from beyond the door. I quickly stepped in and slammed my boot into the Galactic Grunt's stomach as hard as I could. He grunted in pain and I followed that up with a roundhouse kick to the head. My pistol snapped up as I rushed in after the hit.

"United States Army! Hands up! Don't move!" I yelled as loud as I could as I slammed my boot into the Galactic grunt's head, knocking him out. There were others three in the room, one I identified as Professor Rowan, and the other two in Team Galactic getups. One of them started to approach me with an evil grin.

"I don't want to have ta hurt ya, kid," I aimed the gun at him.

"Last warning," I growled. He took another step, and I fired. The single shot hit him in the right shoulder. He fell with a strained cry of pain, and clutched his right shoulder. I quickly checked my work, 'right where I aimed,' I thought as I suppressed a primal grin. I aimed at the last threat in the room. "You have until the count of three to surrender, or I'll kill you," I said as I aimed for the man's chest. I wasn't messing around this time. The last grunt, who seemed to be the leader of this small team, just glared at me. "One," I said calmly. The grunt didn't move. "Two," I said as I shifted my aim from center of mass to his head. Again, no movement. "Three," I said as I suddenly shifted my aim to his right knee and pulled the trigger. He immediately cried out and grabbed his right leg as he fell. "I warned you," I said, keeping whatever emotions I was feeling from my face, "You're just lucky that I decided to just take your knee instead of your life." I then holstered my pistol, thumbing the safety out of habit, and walked over to Professor Rowan. "Are you okay, Professor?" I asked.

"Yes, I am," he replied with his gruff voice.

"Good, I would suggest that you get Officer Jenny over here. She can take care of these," I trailed of as I looked over at the two Galactic Grunts moaning in pain, "punks. They don't even deserve the name grunt. I'm a grunt; these are just rag-head rejects."

"I guess I should be glad you stopped by then," Professor Rowan said.

"Fischer, Eric Fischer," I said as I introduced myself, "Call Officer Jenny, and tell her to come pick these punks up." He nods and then walks over towards a computer on the wall. He picked up a phone off it and taps a few keys. Suddenly Officer Jenny's picture shows up on the screen. I stand enough off to the side to not be seen by the computer.

"Officer Jenny, I have a few people here that broke into my lab and tried to steal something of mine. They are currently," Professor Rowan said before he looked over at me, then at the three grunts laying on the ground, "subdued. Can you come over and pick them up?"

"Of course Professor, I'll be right over," she said. The screen then went blank.

"Anyway, Professor, I stopped by to register as a trainer," I said as I shifted my focus back onto the real reason I was there.

"Hmmm, is that so? Do you have one of my postcards?" he asked. I suddenly remembered that he required a postcard for a starter Pokémon.

"No, Professor. I don't need a starter though, I already have a partner," I said as I looked back and noticed that Sarah was staring at the two Galactic members lying on the ground. "Sarah, you okay?" I asked with considerable concern. A thought clicked in my head, 'They must not have guns here, or are at least rare enough that the average person doesn't know about them…That would explain why the guy came at me, despite me aiming a gun at him…' Sarah didn't react to my question. "Sarah!" I said louder as I walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped the moment I touched her. "Are you okay?" I asked softly.

"Y-Yeah, j-just what happened?" she asked. It was painfully obvious that she was shaken from the encounter.

"I protected myself and others with my weapon. Listen to me, Sarah. Relax, and breathe. I don't want you passing out on me, alright? We just left the Pokémon Center. I would rather not return so soon," I said with a small smile and more confidence then I felt, she looked me in the eye after that. My small joke seemed to do its job as she softly laughed, although it sounded forced. "Relax, okay? I won't let anyone hurt you," I said softly. She nodded, and tore her eyes off the two punks on the ground.

I turned to them, "If you want to keep your limb, do what I tell you. First, put as much pressure on the wounds as you can…," I said as I searched my rucksack for some gauze I could use to patch up their wounds. I found a small med kit with plenty of gauze bandages. I took two and treated the two gunshot wounds I caused. "Now press these onto the wounds, and don't move them until I say otherwise. These are not Urgent or Urgent-Surgical wounds, but serious enough you could die without my help," I explained as I found two long, skinny sheets of cloth. "Alright, let me at those wounds," I said as I wrapped the cloth around the bandages; tight enough to create a proper pressure bandage. I moved away from the criminals. "Now just sit there until Officer Jenny comes. Move too much and those wounds will get a lot worse. It's entirely possible that you could lose the limb if you do," I said as I looked at each of the two criminals.

Both, while a little pale from the blood loss, seemed to turn even whiter when I said that. 'Good,' I thought, 'that should keep them compliant, and if they get back to Team Galactic, should give me quite the rep. Maybe that will keep them out of my hair. If not…I just hope I don't have to pull that weapon in anger ever again.' I released an internal sigh with a shudder, I had a feeling that my life had just gotten a lot more complicated. It was the first time I had ever fired a weapon in anger, and the fact had just sunk in.

"Officer Jenny will be here shortly," Professor Rowan said as he walked up behind me, breaking my train of thought.

"Good to hear, then these three can get what they deserve, along with the medical attention they need," I said as I walked over to him, "Any chance I can get a Pokédex and disappear before Officer Jenny gets here? I'd rather not have to answer some of the questions that are classified as of now."

"Alright, let me access my computer," he said as he walked over to another computer.

"I already have your name…Where were you born?" he asked. 'How did I know that would come up?' I thought sarcastically.

"A long ways away," I said, "That info is classified. I'll need to have a fake hometown."

"Really, why are you here?" he replied as I heard him type in something. I was watching the three grunts, along with Sarah.

"I woke up in the ocean, Professor. I swam to shore and passed out. I owe my life to Sarah, here. All that I'm trying to do is find my way home. Attention, especially with the police, is something I don't want. Although, if I keep running into these punks, I might have to find another way to eliminate them," I explain as I toss a glare at the wounded Galactic Grunts.

"By 'eliminate' do you-" Sarah started before I interrupted.

"Elimination of the threat they pose. Whether that means killing them, or incapacitating them, will depend on the situation. I don't want to take life if I don't have to, though. My job is to protect people, not kill them without reason," I explained.

"Right, well I've taken care of everything," said Professor Rowan, "Here is your Pokédex and some Pokéballs. I suggest you leave quickly if you don't want to run into Officer Jenny."

"Thank you Professor, I owe you one," I said as I placed everything into one of my ACU's pockets, "Alright Sarah, let's get out of here."


	3. Chapter Two: Meeting the Gang

**Response to Reviews:**

Neucom executive: Glad you like it. Nice to see that at least some people enjoy the story here.

Sgt. Nolisten: What kind of soldier were you expecting? At one point in time I was thinking about placing an SF Commander in it, but decided not to be too cliché. Glad you like it.

**Chapter Two: Meeting the Gang**

The two of us quickly left Professor Rowan's lab. I tightened the straps on my rucksack and jogged away from the lab. Sarah also picked up the pace and stayed right next to me. As we jogged, we saw Officer Jenny on her bike speed right by us. We didn't pay her any attention as we jogged. Once we got a good mile or two away from the lab we slowed down, back into a walking pace.

"Guess we don't need to worry about them anymore," I said as I slowed to a stop. I pulled out one of the Pokéballs. It was just a standard red and white ball. I pushed the center button and watched the ball expand to fit in my palm. "Well, do you want a Pokéball? Or would you rather not be caught by me?" Sarah looked at me and then the ball.

"I actually expected you to catch me in the Center," she said. I held the ball out to her, and she hit the center button with a paw. She disappeared in a red light. The ball shut and clicked almost immediately. I was sorely tempted to do the stupid call that Ash always does, but resist; at least to a certain extent.

"Sarah, Post!" I yelled as I threw the ball out and Sarah appeared in front of me in a white light. She looked over her shoulder at me after she appeared.

"Post?" she asked.

"It's a command used in more formal situations. It means, 'Move to this location,' the location is understood in context. The way I used it, means that you are to report to me, front and center," I explained.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

"No, but I always wanted to try a call like that when throwing a Pokéball," I replied sheepishly. She just shook her head. We both laughed and then continued on our way. "So would you rather travel inside your ball, or stay outside?"

"I'd rather stay our here with you," she said, "So, where are we going?"

"Don't know, thought we'd go where our feet would take us," I said as we walked. We walked in a comfortable silence for a while. A thought then crossed my mind.

"Hey Sarah. What moves do you know? And how do you feel about battling?"

"In order; I know Aura Sphere, Bone Rush, Focus Palm, Dark Pulse, Quick Attack, Counter, Mind Reader, Foresight, Detect, Feint, and Metal Claw. I like to battle. It's fun," she explained.

"Fun?" I asked, "I know that there are rules and everything, but how could fighting be fun?"

"Uh, I don't know. It just is. I guess it's because we get to show off our skills, and such," she explained.

"I'm not sure if I could ever do it myself, and if I won't do it, I won't make you do it," I said, "If you want to battle, just let me know, okay?"

"Sure, I'm sure you'll be a natural," she said.

"I just don't want you to be hurt or anything like that. I would hate for you to be hurt, because of me," I said.

"You worry too much, Eric. Relax. I'll be fine if we ever do battle," Sarah said with a small chuckle, "Besides, battling is our only source of income. So we'll need to battle, if we want to be able to buy food and other supplies."

"I guess," I said, still not very comfortable with the idea of telling someone else how to fight, while just sitting on the sidelines, "However, I think I can teach you a few things about real fighting that can be applied to battling. I mean real life-or-death fighting moves, which can be toned down for nonlethal combat. Unless you don't feel comfortable learning these kinds of things."

"… Something tells me that I should learn these things, whether or not I'm going to use them in a battle," Sarah said after a bit of thought. By this time, we had walked back into Sandgem town. "Why don't we get to this training once we set up camp?" Suddenly a realization blindsided me.

"Uh, Sarah, I just realized something," I said, a little worry in my voice that, once I realized it was there, I removed. "I don't have any camping gear. So, either we stay in Sandgem town until we can acquire some, or we just sleep without any gear for a bit."

"There was some more stuff on the beach I found you on…It is getting late, however. Why don't we head there tomorrow so you can pick up the stuff there for you to use. I hid it, so it should still be there," Sarah said, "I think that there was some camping stuff among the things there…but I can't say for sure."

"Alright, sounds like a plan. We'll stay at the Center for tonight. Might as well get checked in, so I don't have to carry this ruck all over the place," I said as we walked towards the Center. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Center and walked in.

"Hello, what can I-" Nurse Joy said as she finished something up on the desk before she looked up and recognized us, "Well, I didn't expect to see you two back so soon."

"Hello again, Nurse Joy. Is there a room we can check out just for the night?" I asked.

"Actually, I just checked the last room out, sorry," she said. She looked genuinely sorry, and that threw me for a moment. I was too used to the false 'sorry' from most employees of a business.

"Don't worry about it, Nurse Joy. We'll make due," I said as I looked down at Sarah, "Wouldn't be the first time I've slept in outside, and Sarah here can rest in her ball."

"I'm truly sorry about this," she said.

"Please Nurse Joy, don't worry about it," I said reassuringly, "These things happen. Besides, this wouldn't be an adventure if I didn't have to sleep outside at least once." That got her to smile at least.

Just as we turned around to walk out, I noticed a group walk in. One of them immediately struck me as someone I know. He had a blue/black jacket on, a black and red hat, and a yellow Pokémon on his shoulder. 'Ash!' I thought as he and his group walked up to Nurse Joy's desk. I then recognized the other two people with him, Dawn and Brock. I knew the show well enough to guess what was going to happen, so I stayed near the desk. 'Why let Croagunk have all of the fun?' I thought as I let a small smirk and moved behind Brock.

"Hey Nurse Joy, do you have a room that we can rent?" Ash asked. That voice just confirmed it, and Brock immediately went to his knee and grabbed her hand, as is usual for him with a "beautiful" girl. Before he could say anything, I grabbed his ear and yanked him back.

"Slow down, man. You're no Romeo, or Casanova," I said as I pulled him a little ways from Nurse Joy. The other two didn't even notice, until I said something.

"Uh, who are you?" asked Dawn.

"Name's Eric Fischer," I said after I released Brock for the 'ear hold of _**DOOM**_!'

"Well my name's Dawn, and this is Piplup," Dawn said as she pointed to the small penguin-like Pokémon.

"Piplup!" it said as it thumped its chest.

"My name's Ash, and this is my buddy Pikachu," he said, pointing his thumb at the yellow rodent on his shoulder.

"Pikachu!" it said.

"My name's Brock. And did you have to do that so hard?" he asked as he rubbed his ear a bit.

"Be glad I didn't do anything other than that. You'd be in even more pain," I stated calmly as I pointed at Sarah, who had watched all of this with a confused look, "Anyway, this is my friend Sarah."

"Hello," she said to everyone.

"Wow, a Lucario," Dawn said as she opened up her Pokédex and pointed it at Sarah.

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon. By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements," stated the electronic device.

"Wow, you're lucky," Dawn said. I chuckled softly.

"You don't even know the half of it. Anyway, I was just going to tell you that there are no more rooms available. I had just asked not thirty seconds ago," I said as Sarah walked over to my side.

"Oh," Ask said, a little deflated.

"Aww, I was hoping for a nice bed for once," Dawn complained.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to camp outside," Brock said.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said, with a small chuckle at Dawn's theatrics, "Mind if I stay with you guys? I don't know the area too well."

"Yeah sure, but first. How about a battle?" Ash asked, suddenly pumped. 'I was wondering when he would ask,' I thought.

"Well, Sarah?" I asked. She looked up at me and nodded. "Alright then, just go easy on me; I've never done this before."

"You're a new trainer?" Dawn asked. I remembered that generally kids about half my age were just getting started on being Pokémon trainers.

"Yeah, I've been busy," I said glancing at Sarah, with a small smile, "Really busy."

"Really? Well I can't promise I'll hold back," Ash said with a smile.

"Pika!" Pikachu added from Ash's shoulder. I knew what was coming, a quick defeat, but I decided to at least try and give him a run for his money.

"Alright, but just to let you know, I only have Sarah here," I said as we walked out of the Center.

"Alright, I'll use Pikachu here," Ash said as we walked out of the town.

"Any tips for a rookie?" I asked.

"I'll help you after the battle," he said as he ran off. I almost sighed at how much of a little kid he acted, despite the fact that he had to be at least thirteen. 'I never acted like that when I was his age, but then again…I kinda forced myself to mature when I was young, choosing the Army as a career at the age of five…' I thought with an inward chuckle.

"He always acts like that," Brock said, "Especially when there is a battle coming." I just nodded my head. 'He wouldn't last three days back home like that,' I thought as we all picked up the pace to catch up with Ash. However, I kept one eye out for Team Rocket. Since Ash and crew were here; Jesse, James, and Meowth wouldn't be too far away.

"Something wrong?" Sarah asked, when she noticed me scanning our surroundings.

"Nothing, just got a funny feeling," I lied, but tapped the flag patch on my ACU. She looked at me a little funny, but her eyes widened as she realized what I was talking about. I just nodded my head slightly. She returned to normal, but also started to scan the area. "Don't worry about it, Sarah. Might be nothing," I said as I noticed Ash waiting at an open field on the edge of town. "Ready for some on-the-job training?" I asked Sarah as we approached Ash's chosen battleground.

"Yeah, leave it to me!" Sarah said as she pumped herself up.

"Alright, I have a plan. Listen to my commands, even if they sound weird, and we might just win this," I said with a small smirk as the plan came together in my mind. 'From what I remember, Pikachu's main attacks used electricity, agility, and straight up brute force. Line of sight was required to use most, and if I could take that away…' I thought as I pieced the plane together, 'hit-and-run is going to be the name of the game. Attrition, and distraction. This open field is going to help Ash more than me, but…That just gives me more areas to hide in…Thank you realistic strategy games, and AROTC training. This might be easier than I originally thought, but still going to be hard.'

"You ready?" Ash asked a few minutes later, after we had set up a small campsite. I looked up at him from my side of the field and nodded.

"Ready when you are, what about you Sarah?" I yelled.

"Ready," she replied, tense and ready for the coming fight.

"This will be a one-on-one fight, between Trainers Ash Ketchum and Eric Fischer with no time limit!" Brock yelled out when he took position in the middle of the field, and off to the right, "Begin!"

"Sarah, Aura Sphere! Middle of the field!" I yelled as I started to enact my plan.

"Pikachu, Bolt Tackle!" Ash shouted as Sarah charged the sphere and threw it. Pikachu charged forward, an electric aura forming around it. The Aura Sphere hit the ground and exploded, and threw up a lot of dirt and dust. 'Good,' I thought, 'the plan can work.' However, the size of the explosion worried me slightly. 'What if someone intent on destruction, got their hands on a Pokémon?' I thought before I focused back on the battle. Sarah tensed to attack Pikachu.

"Sarah, focus on dodging Pikachu's attacks! But start throwing those Aura Spheres around the field! Don't let the dust settle!" I shouted, as Sarah dove to the right as Pikachu tried to tackle her. Another Aura Sphere landed on Ash's side of the field. Two more landed on my side, as Sarah dodged Pikachu with a lot of success. Finally, enough of a smokescreen had been erected that I could move on to phase two of the plan.

"Sarah, Bone Rush! Hit Pikachu from the flanks! Don't hit from the front! Use the cover of the dust to move!" I yelled. Sarah dove into the dust cloud that had been produced from her attacks.

"Pikachu, Thunder!" Ash yelled.

"Sarah! Use the craters as cover! Sprint from cover to cover!" I yelled in response.

"PIKA! CHUUUU!" Pikachu shouted as it unleashed the Thunder attack.

"Sarah, hit it now!" I yelled after the attack landed. I couldn't tell if Pikachu's Thunder had hit her, and I could only hope. Sarah then shot out of the dust loud and hit Pikachu on his right side. 'Direct hit,' I thought, 'that's gotta hurt.' "Sarah, how are you feeling?" I yelled.

"I'm okay!" she yelled back. I looked at the dust cloud and noticed it was starting to dissipate.

"Sarah, put up another dust cloud! Then hit it with another Bone Rush, unless you can't get close, then hit it with an Aura Sphere! Use your judgment, but keep that dust cloud up!" I yelled. Sarah looked at me and nodded.

"Pikachu, you alright buddy?" yelled Ash.

"Pika!" it yelled back. This fight was a ways from ending. Sarah threw three more Aura Spheres, and one almost hit Pikachu, but it was just able to dodge.

"Bolt Tackle!" Pikachu charged, again cover in an electric aura.

"Don't worry about hitting Pikachu! Well take him out, piece by piece! This is all about endurance, Sarah!" I yelled as I noticed she was aiming more towards Pikachu as she dodged it, "Also focusing on taking Ash's Line of sight away! Divide and conquer!" Sarah than threw an Aura Sphere that landed right in front of Ash. He was far away enough to keep him from being hurt, but the dust cloud blocked his vision. Sarah dodged Pikachu, and dove into the new dust cloud. Pikachu tried to follow, but Sarah hit it with an Aura Sphere. It flew out of the dust cloud and landed near me. Pikachu had taken quite a beating, from the looks of things. One thing I hadn't counted on was Aura Sphere's explosive radius. Even when Sarah missed, she always landed them close enough that the force of the hit still did damage.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as the dust started to settle again.

"Chu!" Pikachu growled as he charged back into the dust cloud.

"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. I felt my adrenaline spiked as I saw Pikachu's tail turn white through the dust cloud.

"Dodge it! Forget attacking! Fall Back!" I yelled at Sarah. She countered it with a Bone Rush, and dove away, but Pikachu kept chasing after her. I decided that she needed some breathing room, but to do so, she would need to take a hit. "Block it and then hit it with a close-range Aura Sphere! Focus on getting some breathing space!" I yelled. The dust finally settled enough to show Sarah carrying out my command. She blocked the attack with one hand, and charged an Aura Sphere with the other.

"Pikachu, dodge!" Ash yelled, but it was too late. Sarah slammed the Aura Sphere right into Pikachu's face. The Aura Sphere exploded, and both Sarah and Pikachu were thrown by the blast.

"Sarah, SITREP! Are you okay?" I shouted. I didn't expect for the hit to be that powerful. Sarah pushed herself back onto her feet, but dropped to a knee, breathing very hard. I looked over and saw Pikachu wasn't fairing much better. My mind raced as I tried to figure out a way for this to be finished quickly. "Sarah, can you still fight?" I asked. She looked up at me, and weakly stood back up. That attack obviously took a lot out of her, and she was on her last legs. I looked over at Pikachu, and he seemed to be on the same level. "You've done well, Sarah. You can stop if you want!" I yelled to her, "No one will think any less of you! The odds were stacked against us from the start!"

"No! I won't give up!" she weakly yelled back. 'She's got a warrior's spirit,' I thought as I smiled at her comment. "I will win this!"

"Then finish it. Your discretion! Show these two just how strong you are!" I yelled back, "Currahee!" She charged up an Aura Sphere and threw it at Pikachu.

"Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash yelled. Pikachu was able to dive out of the way. "Thunder!" Pikachu charged up the attack.

"Remember, use the ground as cover!" I yelled as Sarah dove into a crater. The attack rammed into the lip of the crater as Sarah pressed herself into the ground. After the attack Sarah stood back up and leapt into another crater, and then another. I was impressed by how little she exposed herself as she moved towards Pikachu. Pikachu wasn't making it easy, however, as it kept attacking and then moving to a new position. Thunder and Aura Sphere attacks were traded back and forth, but none of the attacks hit either combatant. "What are you going to do to finish this, Sarah," I whispered to myself. Then it struck me, I had only been using two attacks. Sarah knew quite a few others. I wonder what other attacks she was going to use. Once she caught up to the yellow rodent, she seemed to be focusing ever bit of energy into the attack.

"Focus Palm," I whispered with a grin, as the attack was unleashed. The attack was a direct hit. Pikachu was hit with a devastating hit to the face. It went flying and landed on the ground several feet away. Pikachu got back to his feet. This fight was still a ways off from being finished.

"Sarah, their strategy is all about brute force. Dodge Pikachu's attacks and focus on getting hits in when you can, without taking any hits! This fight is still up to you, I'll just give out suggestions! Hooah!" I yelled as Sarah looked at me. She then nodded.

"Got it!" she yelled back as she threw an Aura Sphere.

"Send the Aura Sphere back with an Iron Tail!" Ash yelled. Pikachu's tail went white, and hit the Aura Sphere back at Sarah.

"Catch it, strengthen it, and send it right back!" I countered. As usual, now that the chips were down, Ash was starting to act smart. 'He's good, so I'll just need to be better,' I said inwardly as I fired myself up for the fight. Sarah did as I ordered, and sent the Aura Sphere, which was now twice as big as usual, back at Pikachu. Pikachu tried to dodge, but was sent flying by the explosion. A chill went down my back as I looked at the size of the explosion. 'That hit… Easily the same amount of power as one-five-five (155mm Howitzer),' I thought with a gulp, 'I hope no one from any terrorist organization gets their hands on **any** Pokémon. Or a lot of people could get killed…'

"Thundershock Pikachu!" Ash yelled. Pikachu sent the bolt of electric power at Sarah with a cry. Sarah tried to dodge, but still took the blow full force.

"Sarah!" I yelled out in concern. This was bad. The dust settled, and revealed that Sarah was once again on her knees.

"I-I can s-still f-fight," Sarah said weakly.

"Sarah, you've done enough! Just stay down! I didn't expect us to win this fight anyway! There is no need to go on!" I yelled. I was extremely concerned for Sarah's health and safety. I didn't know how many more bad hits she could take.

"I can win this!" she yelled back. I bit my tongue to keep from just ordering her back. I said it was her choice, now I needed to show my faith in her.

"Alright, I trust you. Finish 'em!" I yelled. Sarah forced herself back to her feet as Pikachu charged at her.

"Bolt Tackle!" Ash yelled. Sarah weakly threw herself out of the way, and was just able to dodge Pikachu. She threw two Aura Spheres at Pikachu as he passed. I had to shield my eyes, as the dust kicked up from the explosions hit me.

When the dust settled, my first thought was to check on Sarah. I spotted her sitting on the ground, exhausted. I looked around and spotted Pikachu. It was passed out on the ground.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Eric is the winner!" yelled Brock from the sidelines with Dawn. I ran over to Sarah as she tried to get back on her feet unsuccessfully.

"Great job, Sarah!" I said as I picked her up from the ground, "Amazing. Even with the odds stacked so heavily…Come on. You deserve a nice, long break. Do you want to go back into your ball or…?"

"I'd rather stay out, but I don't think I can walk," she said. I just smirked as I gently picked her up and held her in my arms. She looked a little startled, but quickly relaxed as I walked towards the group. Ash also held Pikachu in his arms, as the yellow mouse rested.

"Good battle Ash," I said as we walked over to the small campsite that we had set up before the battle. I laid Sarah down next to my rucksack, and sat down right next to her. Brock started working on something, a soup from the looks of everything. Dawn and Ash sat down next to their gear, opposite of me.

"You're a great battler, Eric," Dawn said. Ash nodded in agreement, and Pikachu also added in his two cents.

"I did nothing but come up with the strategy. Sarah did the actual hard work," I said, dismissing their praise, "I had the easy job." I looked down at Sarah and smiled as she rested against my rucksack.

"But without you, I wouldn't have known what to do," she said.

"So? I gave you free reign at the end. You finished the fight, I just started it. You deserve most of the credit anyway," I said as I rubbed her head, ruffling her head fur.

"By the way, where did you learn all of that?" asked Ash, "I don't think I should be giving you any advice. Instead I should be asking you for the advice." Dawn nodded in agreement.

"It seems to me, you already know what you're doing," Brock said, "I was a gym leader at one point in time. You are better than a lot of trainers I have seen around, and they have been trainers for a while."

"I just used a few tried and true tactics. Basic strategy one-oh-one. Turn your opponent's strength into your advantage, and the basic concept of divide and conquer. It's also hard to give out commands if you can't see what is going on," I explained, "So I focused on taking away your line of sight, and splitting you and Pikachu up. It would have been impossible to win in a straight up fight, so I had to tip the scales in my favor. I was lucky, that's all."

"Also, you and Sarah seem very close," Dawn said. I looked at Sarah, and noticed she was leaning more on me, than the rucksack. I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, well…She did save my life," I said.

"Really, how?" Ash asked as he leaned forward. However before I could start Brock interrupted.

"Food's ready. Let's discuss it over some food," Brock said as Ash suddenly shot up and ran over toward our little picnic area.

"Fine by me," I said as I picked Sarah up and brought her over to the food.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"No problem," I replied, also with a smile. She blushed and then looked away. "Anyway, what do you want to eat?" I asked, "Pokéchow, or some soup and sandwiches?"

"Soup, if you don't mind, Brock," Sarah replied.

"Some soup and sandwiches coming right up," replied Brock.

"So how did you two meet?" Dawn asked, as Brock served us all some soup with some sandwiches. I wasn't sure about the food, but remembered how much everyone loved Brock's cooking so I tried it. 'It was a good thing those MREs have yet to kill off _all_ of my taste buds,' I thought as I continued to eat.

"She fished my out of the ocean," I said between bites, of the first food I had all day. They looked at me expectantly, but I just continued eating. "Sorry, but I haven't had anything to eat at all today," I said finally, "Or for the past few days. But I was unconscious for that time. I woke up several miles from shore. I had to swim, I believe about twelve miles. I was exhausted when I got to shore and passed out when I dragged myself ashore. Sarah grabbed me and my rucksack, and brought me to the Pokémon Center here for treatment."

"Wow, what happened then?" Dawn asked. I grabbed a second helping of everything.

"Want seconds, Sarah?" I asked

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she replied.

"Alright. Anyway, after I woke up, she asked to travel with me. And that's it," I said.

"Wow, you've been together for only a few days, and you seem so close," Dawn said.

"Yeah, you seem as close as me and Pikachu," Ash said.

"Well, the thing about Lucarios is that they bond with their trainers. However, as far as I'm concerned, she is someone that is family. I'll look after her like family, and protect her like family," I said, "Besides, I've never seen someone fight as hard as she did in our little battle."

"Yeah, she's tough," Ash said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said while nodding its head.

"Thanks," Sarah replied.

"I hate to ask, but do you have any extra sleeping bags? I don't have one, at least for tonight. Sarah said there might be one at the where she found me, which she hid," I said.

"Yeah, we have an extra," Brock said, "I'll get it out once we get ready to sleep."

"Thanks," I replied.

"How did you get into the ocean, in the first place?" asked Ash.

"Don't know. I was unconscious at the time as well. I'm going to travel around and try to piece everything together," I said, "Maybe there are others who survived and have been scattered to who knows where." Once we finished, I helped Brock clean the dishes, and we all got ready to grab some sleep. Brock handed me their spare sleeping bag, and I rolled it out near the group.

"Where are you two going to go from here?" Dawn asked.

"First we are going to head to the beach and gather what supplies I can," I said, "After that, I don't know. I don't know the area too well."

"Well, you can come with us," Ash said.

"Yeah, you can travel with us. Maybe we can help," Dawn said.

"Well Sarah? You know this area better than me," I said.

"Well, it's more up to you," she said, hinting at my cover, "If you think they can help…"

"Let's sleep on it," I said, uncertain if I want to stick with the 'Chosen One' with his run of luck when staying inconspicuous, "Anyway, good night everyone." I slipped into the sleeping bag, without changing out of my ACU.

"Good night, Eric," came for everyone, along with a tired, "Pika," from Pikachu. After all of the 'good nights' were said, I just stared at the stars. Thoughts raced through my mind. 'So this is what it's like to be an OIC (A/N: Officer in Charge) of an operation…What have I gotten myself into?' I thought jokingly, 'Well, I wanted to be an officer. Time to start earning the $3000 base salary. But on to a more important issue. If I stay with Ash and his crew, I'm going to have to contend with Team Rocket, and whatever other Pokémon issues that Ash just "happens" to get involved with… Whatever happened to the days of, "Mine is not to reason why, mines is but to do or die?" I guess they went with the days of being a low-ranked/greenhorn Cadet. Now I'm an acting Second Lieutenant in a situation that I would rather be following orders, but...' I sighed. I threw those thoughts out of my mind; sack time was of more importance. I closed my eyes and just focused on my breathing. In and out. In and out.

I was just about to fall asleep, I felt someone press into me. My eyes opened slowly, and I looked at what was pressed against me. Sarah. I felt her shiver slightly through the sleeping bag. I looked back up at the sky, and then closed my eyes.

"Want to sleep with me in the sleeping bag, or do you want to sleep in your ball?" I asked softly. I felt Sarah stiffen, but then relax.

"I…" she started, but then stopped. I smiled and unzipped the sleeping bag and held it open. "You…you would let me?" she asked, but again didn't finish.

"Part of my job," I whispered, "is to look after those under my command. That is one of the most sacred duties of a US Army Officer. You are under my command, so it is my job to keep you at your best, no matter the cost to me. I know you don't like being in the ball, and even ignoring all of that, you're going to freeze out there. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, you're family, and family looks after each other. So slide in already."

I felt her slide in, her back to me, and I zipped the bag up. Her fur felt cold, even through the ACU. I remembered from the medical training I have received that sharing body heat was one of the best ways to treat hypothermia. She felt cold enough that I thought she might be getting it, so I wrapped my arms around her comfortably and pulled her tighter into my body. I felt her tense again, but then snuggled into me. I smirked a little but then just relaxed. I eventually drifted off.


	4. Chapter Three: Heading Out

Author's Note: Okay, two things before we begin. I apologize for not getting this up sooner. This chapter has been finished for almost a year and I forgot to post it here. Second thing, chapter four is also finished and should be posted momentarily. Okay, now as I run away from all of the flying fruit, knives and other point objects that will no doubt be thrown in my direction, please remember that the more reviews I get, the easier for me it is to get the next chapter out.

Chapter Three: Heading Out

I woke up. I felt sleep linger a bit, but I shook it off. I opened my eyes and felt like I did when I slept in the field at Camp Ripley during an FTX. At least this time I didn't have to get dress in the sleeping bag, but the sleeping bag was covered with a light frost, just like at Ripley. I sighed, but when I tried to move over to unzip the bag, I felt something dig into my side.

I looked down and saw Sarah, with both her arms wrapped around me. What I was feeling was her chest spike. I smiled a little, and would have let her sleep in, but it was time for me to get up. I gently shook her. Despite a moan of protest, she opened her eyes.

"Time to get up, Sarah. Or at least let me get up," I said with a small smirk. She then realized that she had her arms wrapped around me.

"But it's so early," she yawned as she let go of me.

"Not as early as I'm used to waking up. I actually got more than five hours of sleep. I've slept in," I joked as I slide out of the sleeping bag, "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you up before we head out." She snuggled into the warm spot I left, and quickly fell back to sleep. I pulled out my pistol and checked the load. It was down three rounds, in the magazine, but still enough that I didn't need to reload. I pulled back on the slide and ejected the round in the chamber. I then put the round back into the clip, let the slide snap forward, and slid the clip back into the magazine well. I holstered the weapon, and looked at everyone. They were all still asleep, but seemed to be waking up. 

I did a few stretches to wake up fully, and then set about breaking the camp down. Brock eventually got up, noticed me, and walked over.

"Morning," he said quietly, "You're up early."

"Nah, I slept in," I said with a small smile, "I'm used to sleeping outside and not even getting five hours of sleep. I got about two, I believe, the last time I slept outside. It was in a lot colder temperatures than this, and with a lot more people around." We continued to break down the camp. Eventually everyone but Ash and Sarah were awake. I shook my head, a little in disbelief at how much noise they could sleep through. 'At this rate, they could sleep through a carpet bombing,' I thought with a chuckle, but then went to help Brock with breakfast. His food was almost worth all the trouble staying with them would bring. After breakfast, we would have to split ways, for everyone's safety.

Once breakfast was ready, I walked over to Sarah and gently shook her. "Hey, Sarah. Time for breakfast," I said softly. She groaned, but opened her eyes.

"Already?" she asked while she yawned.

"Yeah, it's eight in the morning," I replied, "Time to eat and then move out. We got a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time to do it."

"Alright," she replied as she slipped out of the sleeping bag and tried to smooth out her ruffled fur. I laughed a little bit at her as I rolled my sleeping bag up and tied it down. Afterward, I picked the sleeping bag up and walked over to where breakfast was being served.

"Alright, food's ready," Brock said as we started serving.

"Want me to wake Ash up?" I asked, a plan being formed in my mind. 'Man, I can be cruel,' I thought with an evil chuckle.

"No, he'll wake up once the food's out," Brock answered. Internally, I grumbled, and filed that plan away for another time, "Besides, Pikachu likes to do it when Ash sleeps in too much." We all sat down at a picnic table that was near out campsite.

"By the way Eric, what's that strapped to your leg?" Dawn asked as she pointed at my pistol. Sarah suddenly looked decidedly uncomfortable. 'She still hasn't gotten over me using the pistol... sigh She'll have to used to it somehow. It might be the only thing that keeps us alive, when push comes to shove,' I thought.

"It's a gift from my dad," I said, but didn't elaborate other than, "I keep it as a good luck charm, of sorts."

"Really? Can I see it?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied as I sat down. I pulled the pistol, and while it was still under the table, quietly removed the clip. I set the clip down on my lap and brought the weapon up. I handed it to her grip first.

"What is it?" she asked, as she held the pistol. I kept my reaction in check when she pointed it at everyone without thinking about it. 'I hate being flagged,' I thought as I felt my pulse quicken a little, 'Especially with a real weapon and not those rubber ducks we use at ROTC.'

"I don't know," I lied, "I got it just before we were going to head home from a vacation we took as a family. That's the last thing I remember before waking up in the ocean."

"Morning, everyone," Ash replied sleepily. He looked like death warmed over.

"Holy crap! The dead are awake! Run for your lives!" I said in mock horror. Everyone had a little laugh at his expense, save him who was still half-asleep.

"What's that, Dawn?" asked Ash after everyone stopped laughing, and he seemed more alert.

"It's Eric's. He says it's a good luck charm." She said as she looked closely as the magazine well, "It looks like something goes here. Is there something that goes in here?"

"I don't know a whole lot about it. It's completely possible," I said, feigning ignorance.

"It looks really complicated to just be a good luck charm," Brock as Dawn passed it to him, barrel first. He worked the slide a few times, thumbed the safety on and off, and pulled the trigger once. It was aimed away from everyone luckily, and the click that came from the gun seemed to startle everyone but me.

"What was that?" asked Ash as he was handed the gun from Brock.

'Something you don't want to hear in the middle of a firefight,' I thought but said, "Don't know. You need to pull the top part back to hear it again though, so something tells me that it isn't a noise you want to hear." Ash looked at it for a bit before he handed it to me, surprisingly grip first. I took the weapon from him and sat it in my lap as I took the clip and got ready to slide it back in. "What's for breakfast, Brock?" I asked, using the noise to cover the click of the magazine being locked into place. I then quickly holstered the weapon.

"Some rice balls," he replied as he laid them out. I had always wanted to try them, so I grabbed two and handed one to Sarah who sat down next to me. She was glad to have the gun put away, and took the rice ball with a smile. She started eating the rice ball, and surprisingly finished it before I was able to take my first bite. I took a bite. It tasted okay, definitely not my favorite food, but I could eat it. I looked over at Ash, and he was all but inhaling them. Pikachu was also munching away, but seemed to savor it. Everyone else seemed to be eating at the same pace I was.

"Sarah," I warned as she reached for another rice ball. She stopped instantly, and suddenly seemed like she was getting chastised. I quickly finished what I was saying, "Better watch your hand around Ash. You might just loose it in that black hole he calls a mouth." She instantly looked relieved, and giggled a little. She quickly grabbed another rice ball and started eating them, before Ash ate them all. I also quickly grabbed a few. We finished breakfast quickly, and packed up everything.

"So Eric, you want to travel with us, or?" Dawn asked.

"Thing is, the beach I was found on is south of here while Jubilife City is north. I'm not sure if I could reach the beach and get to Sandgem town in a day," I said, "I'd hate to distract you all from where you're heading."

"Well, we're heading to Jubilife City for a small contest and a tournament in about a week. It won't take that long," Ash said.

"Yeah, we'll come with you," Dawn said quickly. Their two Pokémon also added in there two cents. 'Defeated by logic, crap...' I thought as I looked at Sarah. She just smiled in response.

"No, I don't think it would be wise for all of you to follow me," I said as I picked my rucksack up and placed it on my back.

"Why?" Brock asked.

"I just have a bad feeling about this. And so far...I have yet to be wrong," I said. Sarah looked at me, suddenly very worried about something.

"Well, if you're sure..." Ash said, a little down.

"It would be best for everyone, but since you're heading to Jubilife, we'll see each other there. We might even battle in the tournament there," I said, while glancing at Sarah.

"If you're not going with us, then here," Brock said as he handed over, what looked like a credit card, "Your winnings from the battle."

"Ah," I said, as I had the feeling of a light bulb going off over my head, "Thanks." I quickly pulled out my wallet, slipped it in one of the credit card slots, and slid it back into its pocket.

"Anyway, I guess we'll see you there," Dawn said.

"Yeah, see you there," I said as I waved and started to walk away.

"Next time we meet, I want a rematch!" Ash said, "And I won't go easy on you!" I laughed in response.

"I might just hold you to that. See you three later!" I replied as Sarah and I left the group and entered the town.

"Alright Sarah, lead the way," I said and motioned for her to take the lead. As quickly as we entered the town, we left. I had barely played any of the games after Gold and Silver, but I ventured as guess that we were on Route 219, heading south. The Route's condition surprised me. I always had thought that they were like a road back home, or a well-groomed trail at the very least. Nope, they were just very well traveled paths that have so many people traveling through them, that a trail had been worn through the grass. We traveled the entire way in a comfortable silence. We arrived at the shore I washed up on, at about 1300H (1:00 PM). I estimated we had walked a solid, eight or nine miles.

"So this is where I swam to shore," I said as I looked around for any remnants of me dragging myself ashore. The tide must have washed away all traces of that and Sarah's assistance.

"Yeap, and I hid the stuff over here," she said as she led me over to a rocky area just to our right. She led me a ways off from the Route. She pulled away some rocks and brush, and showed me a small cave that held some things in it. I pulled out a case. On it was stenciled, "United States Army, M4A1 Serial: F107088K."

I opened the case and there was an M4A1. It had a quad-rail system on it. On the rails were a foldable fore-grip on the bottom and a tactical flashlight on the left. The weapon also had an ACOG scope mounted on the rear-sight/handrail, and a one/two point sling. I quickly disassembled the weapon and saw the weapon still had the firing pin in it. 'Someone jacked up when they packed this thing...' I thought as I reassembled the weapon. I set it back in the case and checked through the rest of the supplies in the cave.

My broken ROTC mummy sleeping bag was there, along with a quarter inch foam pad, a set of Dragon Skin armor, a helmet upgrade kit for my K-Pot, four IFAKs (Improved First Aid Kits), an Emergency Trauma backpack, several MREs, a few smoke grenades of various colors, and a flare gun along with various colored flares. 

I took of my rucksack, and placed the grenades, flares, and MREs, save for two, in it along with the mummy bag. I rolled the foam pad up and attached it to the top, and placed three IFAKs in one of the pouches on the ruck. I then attach the last IFAK to my LBE. I slung the rifle across my chest, and then took one last look in the cave and noticed I missed two small boxes. I pulled it out. Inside one were several fully loaded 5.56mm thirty-round magazines. The other was an ammunition box, containing a thousand rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. I loaded one magazine into the M4 without chambering a round, and put a few others into some ammo pockets I had. The rest I placed inside my rucksack.

I checked the Dragon Skin armor out and noticed it said that it was a "Tactical" version. I wasn't sure what that meant, but quickly donned it. I was surprised by how light the armor was. I had seen videos showing the armor take 7.62mm rounds, and even an M67 Fragmentation grenade without buckling; so to say, I was extremely impressed with it, would be an understatement. Once I got the neck guard and groin protector seated comfortably, I was impressed by how comfortable it was. It felt like I could wear it like a regular T-shirt.

When I picked up the rucksack, I had to grunt with the effort.

"Light Infantry," I joked as I tried to get the rucksack settled on my back, "Anything but..."

"Are you sure you can carry all of that?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, just not used to it," I said, "Think you can carry this?" I held up the Trauma pack.

"Sure," she said. I let her put it on, and then I adjusted the straps to fit. The kit was black, and actually blended in with her fur coloring well.

"Now, how about some MREs on the move?" I asked as I held out two MREs.

"I guess..." Sarah looked at the bags with obvious confusion. I had to bite back a laugh at her expression.

"Here, let me show you how to do it. You learn how to eat these on the move during training, and you learn it fast or starve," I said quickly as I opened both MREs.

"What does 'MRE' mean?" Sarah asked as she watched me work on getting the MREs ready for consumption on the move.

"Officially or unofficially?" I asked with a small smirk.

"Um, both?" she said. I chuckled a bit, as I quickly started heating up both main courses by placing the plastic wrapped food in the heater and adding some water. I then fold the heater closed, and insert it to the cardboard packaging that the main course came in. I lean both of them against my helmet, which I had set on the ground.

"Officially, 'MRE' stands for 'Meal Ready to Eat.' Unofficially, it means a lot of things. For example, 'MRE' means 'Meal Reserved for the Enemy,' 'Meal Refusing to Exit,' or 'Materials Resembling Edibles.'" I explained, as laughed at her expressions at the unofficial meanings. "Don't worry, we may bash our food a lot, but it really isn't as bad as we make it out to be. It used to be that bad, but they are a lot better now. I really don't want to try an old C-ration, aka 'crap in a can.'"

"I think I'm going to lose my appetite," Sarah groaned as she held her stomach. However, she was betrayed by both her nose and stomach when she smelled the main courses finish heating. I chuckled as she blushed in embarrassment due to her mouth watering and stomach growling.

"Here," I said as I finished with her MRE and went back to work on mine, "Go ahead and start eating. If you have any problems opening the packaging, let me know." I quickly placed all of the trash in one of the ACU pockets and then introduced Sarah to Army crackers. I laughed when she quickly polished them off, "See? Even the Army can't jack-up the cracker, haha." We continued on our way back to Sandgem, eating our MREs. We finished them quickly, and I stuffed the trash into the same pocket as the rest of the garbage. Again, we continued on in a comfortable silence.

We arrived back at Sandgem at 1800H (6:00 PM). We decided to stay in Sandgem town one more day, and then move on to Jubilife. Our first stop was the Pokémon Center.

When we walked through the door, Nurse Joy was at her desk, as usual.

"Evenin', Nurse Joy," I said when she looked up to see who entered.

"Good evening, Eric. It's good to see you again," she replied.

"Any chance of a room we can rent?" I asked. This time she held up a key with her trademark smile.

"Just in luck this time. The last room available," Nurse Joy said. Sarah yipped happily at that. I just laughed at her amusement.

"Well, not the first time I've slept outdoors on the cold hard ground, but that still can't beat a nice bed," I said as I walked over and took the key from her, "Thanks Nurse Joy."

"Any time, and the room is that same room as where you were treated. Do you still remember the way?" she asked.

"Yeah, I remember. Thanks again," I replied, as the two of us left for the room. Once there, I dumped the ruck, which landed on the ground with a loud, hard, and heavy thud. Sarah looked at my rucksack, then at me.

"What? Never seen a Light Infantryman's rucksack before?" I asked with a completely emotionless face. Sarah cocked her head, and I just laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked. I just laughed harder. "Tell me what's so funny!" she demanded, obviously annoyed.

"If I tell you, then it's not funny anymore," I explained as I forced myself to calm down, "It just has to do with the amount of weight in that ruck, and the definition of light in reference to weight." I set my rifle down by the bed, as I pulled out my wallet.

"I still don't get what's so funny..." Sarah muttered after a moment of thought.

"If you think about it, it's not funny. Just don't think about it. Anyway, feel like going out for dinner?" I asked as I held up the credit slip that Brock gave me.

"Sure, but do we have enough?" she asked.

"No clue," I replied as I tried to figure out how to look at the balance. I sat down on the bed as I flipped the card over and over. Sarah sat down next to me, also looking at the card.

"Shouldn't you figure that out before we do anything with it?" she asked, shifting her gaze to me and looking at me like I was an idiot.

"Yeah, blame the guy who has never seen this kind of crap before," I muttered as I continued to examine the card, "Let's just get out of the room for a while, and then decide what to do for dinner. I would rather save the MRE's for when we need to eat on the move."

"Alright," Sarah said. We both stood up. I slid the card back into the wallet and put it in its pocket. I then grabbed the rifle and slung it so that it rested in a low-ready position. We then walked out of the room. We walked towards the lobby of the Center when I heard my name.

"-Eric is?" a gruff male voice asked.

"Why yes, he's in room fifteen. Just down that hall," Nurse Joy's voice responded. I looked at Sarah and shrugged.

"Someone's looking for me, so..." I trailed off as I walking into the lobby, I saw Professor Rowan walking towards me.

"Looking for me, Professor?" I asked.

"Why yes, come with me," he replied, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Right behind you," I replied as we walked out of the Center. We walked back to the Professor's lab, and I was surprised to find that the blood that those two grunts had spilled was all cleaned up. He sat behind a desk, and I stood in front of it "at ease."

"What did you need to speak with us about, sir?" I asked professionally.

"Can I trust you to complete something that could mean the difference between life and death for everyone in the world?" Professor Rowan asked bluntly. I was immediately put on edge, a small amount of adrenaline flowing through my system.

"I'll do it, or die trying sir," I replied with complete seriousness in my voice as I stood a bit straighter and I switched from "at ease," to "at attention."

"If what you told me is true, which as crazy as it sounds seems like it is, I believe you are the only one I can trust with this. When you walked in on the Team Galactic members questioning me, they were trying to get me to tell them about something I had stumbled upon. It was an ancient ruin; in it, there was a room that contained writing and a map. We, me and a few other Professors, had just been able to translate part of the tablet, and it talks about seventeen 'orbs of power,' as they are described. We are working on the map right now. However, what we do know is that each controls a certain 'element,' if you will. If they fall into the wrong hands, the tablet describes that a terrible darkness will descend on the world. We have been able to locate three, but have been unable to obtain them. I want you to get them. I will not lie to you, this will be extremely dangerous. Three people have already been killed because of this. I don't want to ask you to do this, but I have no choice. Will-" Professor Rowan said before I interrupted.

"Sir, give me the locations. I'll get them, if only to make sure that the lives lost, were not lost in vain. I'm not being forced into this job, sir. I go into it, know full well that I may not be coming back from this mission. I will not let anyone else perform this mission in my steed, sir. I'm the best suited, and best equipped. Team Galactic will regret the day they stood in my way," I say as I salute him, "Cadet Eric Fischer, reporting for duty!" The Professor looked at me, and I could tell that he was shocked that I would willingly perform an obviously dangerous job, and even be so willing to risk my life on the word of an almost complete stranger. "Sir, I would not have volunteered for the US Army, if I was not ready to die in the defense of my country and for the lives of civilians. I knew when I signed up that I might get deployed on a mission, and not come back from it. I've understood that for a long time, and I accept that. It's part of my job, sir. If it's my time to die, that's just my fate, sir. As a leader of my country once said, 'Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference,' at least now I won't have that problem, sir. If I die on this mission, then I died for something worth dying for. I died so that others may live."

"Well, let's hope that, that doesn't happen. Here, take this," Professor Rowan said. He handed me a blue device. I then realize that it was a Pokégear. "This Pokégear has the locations of the three orbs we know of. The first one we know of is the Ice Orb, which is near Snowpoint City. The second orb is the Ghost Orb. This one is located near Lavender Town. The third is the Fire Orb, located on Cinnabar Island. We believe that another orb is in the Ruins of Alph, but we are not sure. I, or one of the other Professors, will contact you to tell you the location of any Orb we are able to verify. Is there anything else you need before you begin?" Professor Rowan asked.

"What support can I expect from you and the Professors, beside Orb locations?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Rowan.

"I mean things like funding, equipment, personnel?" I explained, "Will I be paying for any equipment that I need to purchase out of my own pocket, or will I be given an operational slush fund? A slush fund is slang for an auxiliary monetary account or a reserve fund. Will I have some form of back up to call on if things get too dicey for me to handle solo? Will I be able to call on vehicles for transport when available?"

"No, I'm sorry to say that we can't give you any of that, except for the money, but we can't spare a lot," Professor Rowan said. At that, I had to bite back a laugh as a thought crossed my mind. Professor Rowan and Sarah both looked at me strangely.

"Sorry, but I swear this sounds like the storyline of a book I read a while back. Funny how the survival of the world depends on me, and yet I can't get any form of back or support. Oh well, not like I was expecting any form back up, thanks to Murphy. I'll take whatever I can get," I said as I looked the Professor in the eye, "I'm ready to go, but I need to do one thing first." I turned to look at Sarah.

"I can't ask you to do this, Sarah, and I'm not going to. You're free to go. I never expected this when I asked you for help," I said as I pulled out her Pokéball.

"Well you don't need to ask, I'm going with," she said, "And there is nothing you can say to stop me."

**Glossary:  
**FTX: Field Training Exercise.

Rubber Duck: Rubber M16's with a metal barrel


	5. Chapter Four: Reassignment

**Author's Note:** Holy crap! Has it really been that long? I'm sorry for disappearing like that. I had several things in RL that took most of my time away from my stories. One herniated disk and subsequent treatment, multiple "discussions" with the US Army about my condition, and college life had deemed me "unfit" to write for a long time. I apologize, but I can't promise that it won't happen again. I can promise, however, to do my best to not allow it to happen. BTW I haven't been able to find a map to the anime world of Pokémon, so I'll be using the video game version.

**Chapter Four: Reassignment**

"I want to say no, Sarah; however, I need all the help I can get," I said with a frown, "As much as I hate to, I'll take you with. However, with this mission in front of us, I'll need you to swear to follow my orders and the orders of those above me. As well as once we gather more support, to be able to issue orders based on the objectives I set before you."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"If you do go with me, I will eventually have to put you in charge of others. That means you'll be responsible for them, just as I am for you right now," I explain, "Are you still sure that you want to go?"

"Yes, I am," she replied.

"Alright then, if everything's in order, we got a job to do," I said as I looked at Professor Rowan.

"Yes, here is the money that I can spare right now," he said as he handed over a card, "It isn't much compared to what we need you to do, but it's all that I can give at this moment. Do you know how to use it?" I paused, while Sarah snickered softly. I then shook my head. "Alright then, you stick them in here," the Professor explained as he pointed to a small card-reader type slot in the Pokédex. I nodded my head and quickly stuck the card in the reader. A number appeared on the screen: 4,000. I let out a soft whistle. I quickly placed the other card I have in the slot and the number rose again to 4,231.23.

"Thank you, sir. We better get moving," I replied as we left his house. We quickly walked back toward Sandgem town.

"So, feel like grabbing some chow now?" I asked Sarah with a smirk.

"How can you feel so at ease with this?" Sarah asked as she looked at me like I was crazy, again, "I mean, think about it! We have a mission that, if we fail, will doom the entire world!"

"That's why you don't think about it, Sarah," I said, the emotion draining from my face as the soldier part of me takes over, "The more you think about it, the larger and harder it seems. Right now, we need to travel to Snowpoint City. That's all I'm worrying about right now, and that's all you should worry about, too. Once we get to Snowpoint, then we'll worry about the Ice Orb itself."

"All right," Sarah said, obviously still worrying about the whole mission.

"Sarah, where did you grow up?" I asked to try and get her mind off the mission.

"Here and there, my family was always on the move. I didn't know why; in fact, I still don't," she explained, "I was born here in Sinnoh, up towards the northeast part. What about you?"

"Born and raised in a state in the United States of America called Minnesota. Lived in that state my whole life. Moved around a bit, but settled down in a town when I was five; lived there ever since. Joined the US Army only about a year ago, but wanted to be in the military since I was five," I answered, "Never thought anything like this would happen when I joined, but hey, at least the company's good." I smirked slightly as I looked at Sarah out of the corner of my eye. She laughed softly.

"Agreed," she replied. We continued and walked back to the town. I held my rifle loosely and looked around. Now that I was on a mission, I had better remembered what I was taught for the last year and everything I taught myself over the past fourteen years. I checked to see if there was a round in the chamber of my rifle. It was empty.

I decided to just leave it like that; no need to ask for trouble when you have enough on your plate. We found a restaurant that also served Pokémon, and got seated. I got a few strange looks due to the armor and my weapon, but I ignored them. In this situation, ignorance really is bliss. Besides, I was used to the looks that I got back home. Although, sometimes those looks ended up getting me sixty bucks to pay for a ten-dollar lunch, of which I donated the money to a local charity after I paid for my meal (A/N: True story BTW, three people paid me twenty bucks each, at the same time no less). The two of us quickly looked over the menu.

"Well Sarah, I think this will be one of the few times we can splurge until this mission is over, so pick whatever you want," I said as I looked over the menu at Sarah. She looked at me a little confused. "Order anything on the menu. For instance, that steak on page three, if you want that, go right ahead and order it. We have the money, and I don't care what you order. So long as you order what you want," I elaborated. Sarah then nodded her head. I looked at the drinks available and was surprised that Sinnoh had Dr. Pepper. I decided to just get a good ol' burger and fries. No reason to go fancy, even if this is my last civilian meal for a while. This is more for Sarah than me. She's going on what could easily turn into a suicide mission with me. She's earned it.

Eventually the waitress came around to take our order. Sarah decided to go with the steak I pointed out, and I ordered the burger.

"I thought you wanted to splurge?" Sarah asked. I smiled.

"This is more for you, Sarah. When I joined the military, I knew I would be going on missions like this. You volunteered to do this when you didn't need to. My opinion of you wouldn't have changed if you walked away," I said, "You are a civilian, doing a soldier's job. No-one can say that you are not an honorable and courageous person for such an act."

"But you don't need do this either," Sarah pointed out, "This isn't your job either."

"And that's where you are wrong. I live by the seven US Army values: Duty, Honor, Integrity, Loyalty, Respect, Personal Courage, and Selfless Service," I said, "I have lived by those values all of my life, I am living by those values, I will live by those values, and eventually I will die by those values. I am an American soldier. Nothing will ever change that. My Duty is demanding that I place myself in Harm's way so that other people will not have to risk their lives to do this. My Honor demands that I do my Duty or die trying. That's why I can't turn my back when someone asks for my help. To do so would dishonor not only me, but my uniform, all those men and women who have worn this uniform, all of the men and women who have died in this uniform, and my country. I refuse to let that happen, even if that means I have to go knock on the gates of Hell by myself. A saying that we soldiers have is, 'Death before Dishonor,' and we mean it. Most men and women that wear this uniform would rather die than dishonor it." Sarah just sits there as she absorbs the information. A felt a shiver of pride run up my spine as I thought about what I had said. It was true, and from the heart. Even if she doesn't fully understand it, I know that she'll respect me for my conviction.

Our food had chosen that time to arrive. We settled down into a semi-comfortable silence as we ate. Halfway through the meal, Sarah decided to speak up.

"What do those upside-down 'V's mean?" Sarah asked.

"They are my rank. The 'mosquito wings', as us Cadets call them, mean that I'm a Cadet-Enlisted. One mosquito wing means Cadet-Private. One with a flat bar underneath means Cadet-Private First Class. Two means Cadet-Corporal, Three means Cadet-Sergeant, three with one flat bar underneath is Cadet-Staff Sergeant, and the list goes on. Every rank in the US Army has a Cadet equivalent. In the real world, not Cadet-land as we call ROTC, the only thing that matters is the single dot for a rank. That is the official Army symbol for Cadet. In Cadet-land, the same symbol means Cadet-Second Lieutenant," I explain, "Really, the only thing you need to be concerned with is that I am a Cadet. Cadet-Corporal only means I'm in my second year as a Cadet."

"Oh," Sarah said, "Sounds complicated."

"At first, it is. Once you've been around it for a while, it all makes sense and suddenly becomes really simple," I said, "You don't really need to worry about it. Only be concerned about the US military ranking system if we ever run into someone with a similar uniform that has a rank higher than Staff Sergeant, or is an officer." The ended the conversation. Now the atmosphere went south and became uncomfortable. We continued eating as I scrambled to find something to change the subject.

"Sarah, while we travel around, do you want to see if we can find your family? Check in with them, or something?" I asked as I polished off the burger, and went to finish up the fries. She suddenly stopped eating and looked away. 'Oh, come on!' I inwardly yelled at myself, 'Wow, what are the chances that you say the very thing she doesn't want to talk about. Yeah, this is going just perfect…'

"N-no, that won't be necessary…" she said softly.

"I…I'm sorry. If you ever want to talk, about anything, I'm here. I want to listen, alright? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" I said softly. I'd hate to lose the friendship we had. Sarah just sat there silently for a while, before she started back on her steak.

"…Thanks, Eric," she replied softly. We both finished off our food and the waiter takes the plates away.

"Hey Sarah, how about I teach you some of the basics of hand-to-hand we get back to our room?" I asked as she took a sip of her water.

"Sure," she replied softly. She had a little far off look to her, almost like the ten thousand yard stare.

"Sarah, you okay?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. I could tell that she was lying, but I didn't want to push it; maybe later, but definitely not now. The bill came and went. We then stood up, left the restaurant, and walked to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy was busy helping another person when she noticed the two of us walk in. She nodded in greeting before focusing on the trainer she was helping.

We continued to our room and I dump my kit on the bed. After that, we shoved all of the furniture against the walls and cleared out a large enough place to practice.

"First things first, let's start with the basic punch, show me," I said as I recalled all of my hand-to-hand instruction that I had received, which was mostly civilian with very little military. She did a basic punch, and the form looked alright, but it was off enough that I moved in to correct her. "Alright, first keep the punch at shoulder level, unless you are aiming for a specific point. Second, make sure to include the whole upper body when doing a punch, it adds a lot more force than if you just jabbed with the arm," I said as I slowly did a punch, using a Tae Kwon Do stance, "Third, make sure to keep the other arm ready so you can use it for either a follow up offensive strike, or to counter one as a defensive strike by having the arm tucked up like this." She fixed her stance to match mine. "Just to let you know, this isn't military combatives, but a civilian martial arts style called Tae Kwon Do. Combatives are more throws and grappling than kicks, punches, and such. Us Cadets aren't allowed to take Combatives due to how dangerous it is. However, I got a hold of the Combatives FM and did a little studying on my own." We then practiced punching at each other and how to dodge or block them.

"FM?" Sarah asked.

"Field Manual," I replied, "Although most soldiers say it means something else."

"And that would be?"

"Freaking Magic," I replied with a smirk.

After throwing a few more punches, we moved on to kicks. I showed her how to perform a standard front kick, roundhouse kick, axe kick, and side kick. She picked up on these moves quickly and I decided to move onto blocks. After that, I showed her a few of the counterattacks that I knew from the little training I had in Krav Maga. Suffice to say when I showed her how to block a punch to the face, she realized that when I said that these techniques could kill, I meant it, as one of the finishing moves I showed her involved a stomp onto the opponent's throat after throwing the opponent to the ground while blocking his or her attack. We practiced on each other, throwing each other to the ground and walking through the finishing strikes. We even moved on to how to defend against a knife-wielding opponent.

By the time I called it quits for practice, it was already 2228H (10:28 PM). We both were drenched in sweat. I wiped off the sweat that had accumulated on my brow and let out an exhausted sigh.

"That was a good practice. I haven't had that much fun in a while," I said with a grin.

"Same," Sarah replied, "And you were right. Some of those moves are downright vicious. Why would anyone want to know them?"

"I don't think anyone wants to, but it's more of a necessity. No one wants to have to take a life…but some things are worth fighting for, killing for, and dying for," I replied softly. I stood up and grabbed my PT uniform, "I'm gonna grab a quick shower before I get some rack time. I'd recommend the same." I then took a quick shower and got dressed in my PT uniform. When I got out of the bathroom, Sarah stepped in. I moved the furniture back into place and got ready for bed when I heard a call from the bathroom.

"Uh… Eric, can you help me with something?" Sarah called out from the bathroom.

"Sure, what do you need?" I asked, assuming that it had something to do with drying her fur.

"I need some help…_mumble_," Sarah said, mumbling the end.

"Sorry, did catch that last part. What'd ya say?" I asked with a small smirk.

"I need help drying my fur," Sarah said quickly, embarrassment tinting her voice.

"Sure," I replied as I walked into the bathroom. I grabbed a nearby towel, which was still dry, and proceeded to give Sarah a good rub down. It took us thirty more minutes and five more towels before she was dry. I had to fight the laughter as I looked at the large, poufy Lucario in front of me.

"One word. One snicker! And I'll kill you…" Sarah growled. I couldn't help it as I broke out in laughter. Being threatened by something that looked like a ball of fluff was just too funny. Sarah growled and tried to work her fur back down. Five minutes later and she still looked like an oversized, Lucario-colored and shaped furball. Eventually my laughter died down, with tears in my eyes and my stomach throbbing. After I calmed down, I grabbed a comb from the bathroom and helped comb her fur. It took us ten minutes before we got her fur to stay down and we were set for bed. I offered her a spot by my side on the bed, and she jumped in before I even finished. I couldn't help but smirk as I reached over her and turned off the light, before I quickly succumbed to sleep.


End file.
